Confirmation Sunday

In the opening pages of his autobiography, "An American Life," Ronald Reagan writes, “I was raised to believe that God had a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God’s plan, even the most disheartening setbacks, and in the end, everything worked out for the best. If something went wrong, she said, you didn’t let it get you down: You stepped away from it, stepped over it, and moved on. Later on, she added, something good will happen and you’ll find yourself thinking -- ’If I hadn’t had that problem back then, then this better thing that did happen wouldn’t have happened to me.’ After I lost the job at Montgomery Ward, I left home again in search of work. Although I didn’t know it then, I was beginning a journey that would take me a long way from Dixon, Illinois, and fulfill all my dreams and then some. My mother, as usual, was right.”
Call them what you want--setbacks, roadblocks, Plan Bs—eventually they happen to each of us. At the time, they only seem like a loss, a defeat. I’m sure that when Ronald Reagan lost his Montgomery Ward’s job he didn’t celebrate. Yet as his mother pointed out, that negative thing paved the way for something better. People who believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit believe His promise; that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” It sometimes takes quite a bit of God-given faith, though, to really trust that the wall I just ran into is God’s way of re-directing me. But that’s what faith does. It looks at the roadblock and says, “All right, Lord, where are we going now?”
For evidence of the power of Plan B, look no further than today’s first reading. The life of the Apostle Paul was a series of Plan Bs—beginning with his conversion and continuing on through ministry teams falling apart, shipwrecks and house arrest. You almost get the sense, reading the book of Acts, that nothing went according to Paul’s plan. And yet everything went according to God’s plan, and Paul learned to live with it.
We have an excellent example of that dynamic in this passage from Acts 16. Paul, Silas, and Timothy had their own travel itinerary, but we learn here that the Holy Spirit had other plans. God wanted them to head to Macedonia, going so far as to send Paul a vision of a man requesting their help. Clearly, Paul had learned to live by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, because it says that the group set out for the Macedonian region “immediately,” concluding that God had called them to preach the Gospel there. Let me just stop the story for a second to ask you: Is the Holy Spirit prompting you to help someone today? Is there a request for help that has reached your ears—a situation that you know you could bring the Gospel to—that the Spirit is quietly drawing you towards? Will you respond with the faithfulness demonstrated by Paul, Silas, and Timothy?
Back to the travelers—when they arrive in Phillipi, God’s Plan B begins to come into focus. There, at the riverside, they meet a woman named Lydia. Lydia was a pretty interesting woman. She was a “worshipper of God”—a phrase used to describe non-Jews who had come to believe that God of Israel was the true God. She was a business owner—and a fairly successful one at that, since purple goods were highly sought after, expensive items. Best of all, as Paul shared the good news of Jesus with her, the Lord opened her heart to receive his gifts, and she, along with her family, was baptized. Filled with the new life of Christ, she is also moved to extend hospitality to the missionary team, and her home likely became a makeshift sanctuary for Philippian Christians. Here is the power of Plan B in motion. The original frustration of Paul and company not going where they had wanted to go gave way to a call for help—and the outcome was the salvation of Lydia and her family. This was not the result of some great strategy or program, just a few men who were open to the direction of the Holy Spirit and faithfully went where He said to go. Do you and I have that same openness today? Or have we learned how to ignore that still, small voice that says, “Go and help people in My name?” Now there’s something to think about.
Today, five of our young people are going to confirm that they still possess the gift of faith that was given to them in baptism. They are going to confirm that this faith has grown as they have learned the Word of God. They are going to confirm their intention to remain in this faith until it becomes sight. In fact they are going to confirm that they would rather die than fall away from Jesus. Sound intense? That’s because it is! It’s a huge statement for anyone to make, and they’re making it, here, today, before God and family and church. Please pray for these young people, that they would remain faithful to the Lord Jesus; that they would be open to God’s Plan B’s for their lives; that they would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit leading them on life’s journey, and as you do that, why not renew your own confirmation? Why not renew your commitment to the Word of God and openness to the Holy Spirit?
After all, it is through that Word that the Holy Spirit goes to work. The Word and Spirit confront us with our sins and the death sentence that is deservedly ours. The same Word and Spirit offer God’s solution; it is Jesus, who would stand in the way of punishment for us on the cross and assume our debt--all of it; leaving us forgiven and free. The same Word and Spirit promise an eternal connection to the risen Son of God, meaning victory over death! The same Word and Spirit promises that all things are working together for good for you and that the Lord will shepherd you through every roadblock you experience. If the Holy Spirit has opened your heart to believe these promises, give thanks today, because you own the greatest treasures a person can have!
Today we pray that God would put up walls for us to run into—just like with Paul—and that with each wall we run into we ask, “What’s God’s will here?” and that at every turn he would make us open to the Holy Spirit and sensitive to the cries for help. Because it’s not our plans that matter—it’s the people the Lord places in our path. Let’s serve them in Jesus’ name and leave the plans to Him.

What Jesus Said About Giving

A woman named Sadie Sieker served for many years as a house-parent for missionaries' children in the Philippines. Sadie loved books. Though she gladly loaned out some, others she treasured in a footlocker under her bed. Those never circulated. One night, when everything was quiet, Sadie heard a faint gnawing sound. After searching all around her room, she discovered that the noise was coming from her footlocker. When she opened it, she found nothing but an enormous pile of dust. All the books she had kept to herself had been lost to termites. What we give away, we keep. What we hoard, we lose. Or as Jesus put it, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

You’ve heard that before, right? But do you believe it? More importantly, do you live by it? “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

These words of Jesus are tucked into the very end of an address that Saint Paul gave to a group of Christians that he thought he would never see again. These are what he thought would be his last words to them, so it was an emotional, poignant moment. In this address Paul hits a number of major points for them to remember: he reminds them that the gospel is for Jews and Greeks alike; he reminds them that “repentance towards God” and “faith in [the] Lord Jesus” is central; and he reminds them that they are responsible for defending God’s people from false teachers. And then he says, “…we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And after a prayerful, tearful farewell, it was time for Paul to go. You can be sure that the Ephesian Christians held onto these famous last words of Paul and put them into practice in their ministry.

Now, on one hand, it should be obvious that generous giving is a defining characteristic of Christians and the churches they attend. But on the other hand, human nature declares that Jesus got it wrong. Human nature declares, “It is more blessed to receive than to give.” Human nature declares that Sadie Sieker was doing the right thing when she kept those books under her bed. Human nature declares that your personal happiness depends on receiving; that it’s not a good Christmas unless you receive the ultimate present; that it’s not a great birthday unless you receive the perfect gift; that it’s not a meaningful Mother’s or Father’s Day or anniversary if I don’t receive the attention or appreciation that’s coming to me. Furthermore, human nature says, If you do give, which doesn’t sound like a very smart idea, but if you do give, you’d better see some return on your investment; you’d better be thanked profusely; you’d better get something out this giving, or why would you ever do it again?

As you can see, human nature and Jesus are in conflict. Self-centeredness and Jesus are in conflict. Something has got to give. Someone does. It’s Jesus.

When Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” understand this: He’s talking about himself first. Someone once said that God will not judge you by what you give, but by what you keep. Interesting thought. In the case of Jesus, the Bible tells us that He did not consider his status as God something to keep! He didn’t play it safe. He didn’t say, “Oh, I like it here in heaven where its comfortable and secure, I think I’ll just stay.” No! He gave himself. He entered a world made ugly by human hate, violence, and bloodshed, a world spiraling out of control. He came right down into it to save us from self-destruction. On the cross of Calvary He offered His life as a ransom for yours. An unstoppable love moved him off of the throne of heaven where His praises were being sung to a wooden cross where people mocked him in spit in his face. He made himself a sacrifice for sin and guilt; He gave himself. Why? One reason. To get you.

That’s not the end of the story, though. He rose again and is alive today. He continues to give of himself. That’s what we’re doing here today. He’s giving you this truth. He’s giving you his sacramental body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He’s giving you spiritual gifts to use for the good of others. He’s given you family and friends, healing, peace in the middle of life’s storms. Giving is not just what Jesus does, it’s who He is.

We need Jesus to give to us. We need to receive his gifts. We need to understand: we have no standing before God unless Jesus gives it to us. But here’s the deal: the more we receive from Jesus, the more we can give like Jesus. The more we truly see what he risked, the more we’ll risk for him.

In the latter part of the 17th century, German preacher August H. Francke founded an orphanage to care for homeless children. One day when Francke desperately needed funds to carry on his work, a destitute Christian widow came to his door begging for one gold coin. Because of his financial situation, he politely but regretfully told her he couldn't help her. Disheartened, the woman began to weep. Moved by her tears, Francke asked her to wait while he went to his room to pray. After seeking God's guidance, he felt that the Holy Spirit wanted him to change his mind. So, trusting the Lord to meet his own needs, he gave her the money. Two mornings later, he received a letter of thanks from the widow. She explained that because of his generosity she had asked the Lord to shower the orphanage with gifts. That same day Francke received 12 gold coins from a wealthy lady and 2 more from a friend in Sweden. He thought he had been amply rewarded for helping the widow, but he was soon informed that the orphanage was to receive 500 gold pieces from the estate of Prince Van Wurtenburg. When he heard this, it was Francke’s turn to cry. In sacrificially providing for that needy widow, he had been enriched, not impoverished.

Take this to heart. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving enriches us. There is no threat of being impoverished when we give and love in Jesus’ name. It’s like a panel from a Family Circus cartoon. Billy asks his mom, “Mom, do you ever worry about running out of love?” The mother responds, “No, Billy, it seems the more I love, the more love I have to love with.” The more I love, the more love I have to love with. You have nothing to lose by living this way.

Back to Reality

During China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900, insurgents captured a mission station, blocked all the gates but one, and in front of that one gate placed a cross flat on the ground. Then the word was passed to those inside that any who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life, but that any refusing would be shot. Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free. But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act. Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross, and went out to face the firing squad. Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining ninety-two students followed her to the firing
squad.
History is filled with such stories—of faithfulness unto death. It’s almost impossible to make contact with such a story without asking, “What would I have done? What would I do?” It also begs the question, “Why? Why would a Chinese Christian—or any Christian—choose certain death rather than show disrespect to their Lord Jesus? The answer to that question lies at the heart of our seven-week celebration that began last Sunday. The answer is that Jesus has rendered death powerless. The answer is that no matter what, Jesus wins, and He shares His victory with those who believe in Him. To say it differently: Why risk anything or even everything for the cause of Christ? The answer: ‘Because He lives.” Because He lives, I live now, and will live forever.
Our readings for this Sunday morning would seem to offer us a resurrection reality check. It is almost as if they say, “All right, everyone was singing and happy and triumphant last weekend, but now it’s back to the real world.” Acts 5 shows the apostles paying the price for their public profession of faith in Jesus. They are threatened with death and whipped in the same cruel manner as Jesus had been. In the gospel lesson, we learn that immediately following Jesus’ resurrection, one of Jesus’ closest followers took the skeptical approach and said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It’s like, “Easter was majestic; Easter was uplifting; Easter was pure and powerful, but that was then. Look at what you’re up against now.” The temptation for the people involved in each of these Biblical stories was that they would give in to that very line of thinking—that their troubles would loom so large in their vision that they would lose sight of their risen Lord Jesus. They would doubt that it could make any difference. They would doubt that it happened at all.

 I think it is safe to say that we are tempted in precisely these same ways. When we’re not being fed doubts about a resurrected Christ, we nurse doubts about a God who would allow bad things to happen to us, and soon we’re living far removed from a 33-year-old Jewish man getting up out of his grave. I just don’t feel a connection between me and that event, and so hope drains out of my life. We are tempted to live as if the resurrection of Jesus—if it happened at all—doesn’t matter.
And what a heartless temptation that is. What a cruel trap that the devil has set. Because the resurrection doesn’t just matter. It is everything! To paraphrase St. Paul: If the resurrection of Jesus did not really happen, then this thing we call Christianity is an awful waste of our time. If Jesus did not really come back to life, we are nothing more than a group of pious fools following empty rituals. But…the proclamation of the Holy Christian Church, based on eyewitness accounts, has always been and always will be that Jesus Christ came out of his grave alive--three days after being crucified. It is true, and it changes everything.
Because Jesus lives, death is not the end. A Christian man and his wife lost their young son in a tragic accident on Good Friday in 1996. The boy’s funeral was on Easter Sunday. During the memorial service the father got up and shared with his family and friends that Easter had taken on a new importance. "Until you stare death eye-to-eye," he began sobbing, "Easter is just a word. It’s a nice day with bunny rabbits and eggs . . . .but when someone so precious to you dies, Easter becomes everything . . . an anchor in a fierce storm . . . a rock on which to stand . . . a hope that raises you above despair and keeps you going." Those whom God has adopted and gifted with faith also have the promise that they live in Jesus— they live forever in Jesus—and the separation that death causes now is temporary, not final.
Because Jesus lives, we can serve Him with confidence. The apostles of Acts 5 endured the punishment they received for preaching about Jesus—and more than that—they were full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. They defied the order to stop talking about Jesus because they couldn’t help themselves! How could they? Jesus had come back to life! Some council had told them to knock it off—so what? We serve Christ, who defeated death! That was the mindset of the apostles. Is that your mindset? Is that our church’s mindset? It can be, because we serve the same living Lord the apostles did. Christian author, pastor and radio preacher Dr. Warren Wiersbe once said, "[The resurrection of Jesus] is the Truth that turns a church from a museum into a ministry." Jesus is alive and wants to be active in us!

And, because Jesus lives, he can come to us. He comes to us here, in spoken and sung words; in words that raise believers to new life; He comes to us here in the washing of baptismal water; He comes to us here, hidden in bread and wine. He comes to you to say, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take and eat, my body broken for you. Put your hand here in my side. Take and drink, my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Peace be with you. Believe in Me.” Jesus lives in his Church to feed and nurture us! We connect with a living God here! He comes right down to our level to forgive and strengthen and teach us, and in return we praise Him, we pray to Him, we give back to Him, we serve Him. This activity only makes sense if Jesus is alive! Again and again he enters the locked doors of our hearts to give us the gift of His peace.

He Really Is A King

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic story “The Lord of the Rings” features a character named Aragorn, who is a kind of king in disguise. You first get to know him as a wilderness Ranger nicknamed Strider who is pretty good with a sword, but in the course of the story you learn he is the rightful heir to the throne. This unlikely hero leads an army in battle against a great evil force and prevails, which results in his being crowned King. And, in fact, the third book in the series—as well as the third film—is called “The Return of the King.”

            This Sunday we hear about another King in disguise. Jesus of Nazareth comes to town, but He’s riding on a colt, born of a donkey—not exactly a war horse. He wears no suit of armor; no crown is perched on his head. He wields no weapons of any kind. Truth is, He looks absolutely ordinary. Yet He really is a King. As that colt took him up the road, the people were shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” And Jesus was letting them say it. He would not silence those who were saying it, even after He was asked to.

            There’s a good reason for that. His arrival fulfills a prophecy spoken by Zechariah, a priest who lived 520 years before Jesus. That prophecy reads as follows: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

            This Palm Sunday Parade is no accident. It is an intentional statement on Jesus’ part. By doing this, He is sending the message: “I am the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” The people waving palm branches and shouting out “save us now” (which is what hosanna means) have no idea how right they are. Jesus really is a King, but here’s the deal: He’s not just the King of Jerusalem. He’s not just the King of Israel. He is the uncreated, living God, the Maker of the universe, a King in disguise, if you will, but a King nonetheless--and not just a King but The King.

            And to be sure, this is a warrior King who is riding into Jerusalem. He is coming to do battle with evil. He is coming to go toe to toe with death itself. The hope that He would end Roman oppression was setting the bar way too low. This unlikely King will conquer in a most unlikely way—not that anyone along the parade route had any clue about what was going to unfold. It didn’t matter. At that moment in time, the shouting crowds were right. He really was the King, righteous and having salvation. And you know something? The shouting crowd is still right. Because of Jesus torturous’ death, He has salvation to give. Because of his triumphant resurrection, he has righteousness to give away. He has proven himself to be King, whether we fully grasp his mission or not; whether we give him our honor and praise or not; whether we serve him with our lives or not, He is King. It’s the truth underneath everything. Jesus is ruling right now. Do you believe that?

            This is a side of Jesus that you may not spend much time thinking about. We’re used to thinking about Jesus as our Savior, of course. We are used to Jesus as our Shepherd; Jesus as our Friend. And there’s nothing wrong with any of those ideas. They’re absolutely Biblical. However, we need to hold those images of Jesus together with this: Jesus is The King. His willingness to drink the cup of punishment…His courage in going to the cross…the valor it took for Him to lay down in your grave means He now has been given the throne of his Father. He rose from the dead to rule over all things, and He rules—this is the best news of all—He rules purely for the sake of His people. He rules with your best interest in mind. That deserves a careful response, don’t you think? Let’s walk through our response to King Jesus.

            If Jesus is King of your life, then to deny Him is treason. And yet we flirt with that denial all the time. We make small decisions to hide our allegiance to Jesus. We downplay our connection to Christ. We make those decisions out of a sense of self-preservation, but that sense is faulty. Denying Jesus is self-destructive. Just ask Judas. Or better yet, ask the apostle Peter, whose threefold denial of Jesus led to a dark night of the soul. He would’ve been lost in despair were it not for the forgiveness and threefold restoration of His risen King.

            If Jesus is King of your life, then refusal to listen to his Word is defiance, and disobedience is rebellion against His rule. Yet how often do we refuse to listen to His Word? How often do we replace time we could be spending with the King’s Words with other things? We cannot pretend that we are living under the rule of King Jesus if we don’t even know what He says. But then, what if I do know what he says, and choose not to do things his way? Then I’m simply a rebel who is choosing a new King and the new King is me. The funny thing about Kings, though, is there can really only be one.

            But now you will see what makes Jesus totally unique as a King. He will not force you to accept his rule. He does not demand to be the authority in your life. He will not command you to worship Him at the point of a sword. He will not bend you to His will against yours. No, this King simply asks you to watch Him. He asks you to see how he operates. He knows it’s pointless to try to coerce you into relationship with Him. So He just wants you to watch, as he rides into the city where he will die as a criminal, to watch as he gathers his disciples for a final meal and a new expression of mercy, to watch as he is mocked with a kingly robe and a hideous crown, to watch as he surrenders to the fists and the whip and the nails and the spear. He wants you to watch as they lay his lifeless body in the tomb. He wants you to watch, because as the warrior King, He willingly did all this to protect you. Do you understand? If Jesus had never descended from his heavenly throne to do those things, you would be facing the punishment for your sins alone, with no defense. You would be obliterated and separated from God’s grace forever. But Jesus says, watch what I do! I’m the King! But I subject myself to suffering and death to keep you safe. I’ll take the fall. I’ll drink the cup of wrath. I’ll taste hell for you, because My crown means nothing if I don’t have you. My kingdom is empty without you in it.

            How could you not love a King like that? How could you not pledge yourself to someone who would do that? Doesn’t he deserve your loyalty and honor and devotion? Doesn’t he deserve your allegiance and the shout of praise from your heart? Save us now, King Jesus.